CN2884266Y - Image forming unit and developer cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

A developer cartridge is detachably mounted in a main body of an image forming apparatus. A transmission member driven by the driving force and moved in a moving direction when the developer cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body. The transmission member is provided with a moving portion that moves in a moving direction together with the transmission member. An obstructing part is arranged downstream of the predetermined detection position relative to the moving direction, for blocking the moving part to prevent the moving part from passing through the predetermined detection position for the second time. The detection part detects the passage of the moving part at a predetermined detection position. The information specifying section specifies information related to the developer cartridge based on the detection result of the detecting section.

Description

Image forming unit and developer cartridge

Cross References to Related Applications

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-055105 filed on February 28, 2005. The entire content of this priority application is incorporated herein by reference.

technical field

The utility model relates to an imaging device such as a laser printer, and a developer box detachably installed in the imaging device.

Background technique

A developer cartridge containing toner is detachably installed in a conventional laser printer. Such a laser printer is equipped with a new product detection device for detecting whether the developer cartridge installed in the laser printer is new, thereby determining the useful life of the developer cartridge from the detection of the new product.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-221781 discloses a developing device in which a sector gear having a concave portion and a convex portion is provided. When a new developing device is installed in the casing in the electrophotographic image forming apparatus, the protruding portion formed on the sector gear is inserted into the new product side sensor, and the new product side sensor is turned on. After the developing device is loaded into the housing of the image forming device, the idler gear is driven and rotated. When the idler gear starts to rotate, the sector gear rotates with it and moves the protrusion from the new side sensor to the old side sensor. The tab is inserted into the used side sensor, turning the used side sensor on. At the same time, the idler gear reaches the concave part of the sector gear, and the sector gear stops rotating.

Utility model content

However, in the new product inspection device described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-221781, both the new product side sensor and the used product side sensor are necessary because the protruding part is either inserted into the new product sensor to detect a new product, or inserted into the new product side sensor. Used sensor to detect old products. Therefore, this structure increases the cost and complexity of the developing device.

In addition, some users demand to freely select an optimal developer cartridge from among a plurality of developer cartridges of different price ranges corresponding to different toner amounts in consideration of usage cost and frequency.

In order to meet this demand, it is necessary to provide a plurality of developer cartridges containing different amounts of toner. However, the toners contained in these developer cartridges have different agitation properties and different degradation rates based on the toner amount.

In this case, it is not enough to detect whether the developer cartridge is new because the age of the developer cartridge from the time of detection may vary depending on the amount of toner contained therein. Therefore, the age of the developer cartridge cannot be correctly judged. As a result, the developer cartridge containing a small amount of toner is likely to reach the end of its life before this judgment is made, resulting in a decrease in image quality.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus capable of judging information related to a developer cartridge while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost and avoiding an increase in structural complexity. Another object of the present invention is to provide a developer cartridge detachably installed in an image forming apparatus.

In order to achieve the above and other purposes, according to one form, the utility model provides an imaging device. The image forming device includes a device main body, a driving force generating section, a developer cartridge, a detecting section, and an information determining section. The driving force generating part is located in the device main body and generates driving force. The developer cartridge is provided to be detachably mounted into the apparatus main body. The developer cartridge includes a transmission member, a moving portion, and an obstructing portion. The transmission member is configured to be driven by the driving force and to move in a moving direction when the developer cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body. The moving part is arranged on the transmission member and moves in the moving direction together with the transmission member. The blocking part is located downstream of the predetermined detection position with respect to the moving direction, thereby blocking the moving part and preventing the moving part from passing the predetermined detection position for the second time. The detection part detects the passage of the moving part at a predetermined detection position. The information specifying section specifies information related to the developer cartridge based on the detection result of the detecting section.

According to another form, the present invention provides a developer cartridge configured to be detachably mounted in an image forming apparatus main body. The developer cartridge includes a transmission member, a moving portion, and an obstructing portion. The transmission member is configured to be driven by the driving force and to move in a moving direction when the developer cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body. The moving part is arranged on the transmission member and moves in the moving direction together with the transmission member. The blocking part is located downstream of the predetermined detection position with respect to the moving direction, thereby blocking the moving part and preventing the moving part from passing the predetermined detection position for the second time.

Description of drawings

An exemplary form according to the present utility model will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view of a laser printer according to an exemplary form of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the developer cartridge according to the exemplary form, in which a gear cover is installed;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the developer cartridge according to the exemplary form, with the gear cover removed;

Figure 4 is a side view of the developer cartridge according to the exemplary form, with the gear cover removed;

Fig. 5 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (mounted with the gear cover) according to the exemplary form, showing a mechanism for detecting a new product when the developer cartridge is installed in the main casing;

Fig. 6 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (with the gear cover installed) according to the exemplary form, showing the mechanism for detecting new products when the front moving member is in contact with the transmission mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (with the gear cover installed) according to the exemplary form, showing the mechanism for detecting a new product when the front moving member is in contact with the obstructing portion;

Fig. 8 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (with the gear cover installed) according to the exemplary form, showing the mechanism for detecting a new product when the rear moving member is in contact with the transmission mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (with the gear cover installed) according to the exemplary form, showing the mechanism for detecting a new product when the rear moving member is in contact with the obstructing portion;

Fig. 10 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (with the gear cover installed) according to the exemplary form, showing the mechanism for detecting a new product when the rear moving member has passed the obstructing portion;

Figure 11 is a side sectional view of a developer cartridge (gear cover mounted) according to this exemplary form, showing the mechanism for detecting new product when the front moving part completes one revolution and approaches the transmission mechanism;

Figure 12 is a side sectional view of a developer cartridge (gear cover mounted) according to the exemplary form, in which the developer cartridge is installed into the main casing and the rear moving part is omitted;

Fig. 13 is a side sectional view of a developer cartridge (mounted with a gear cover) according to another mode, wherein the gear cover is incorporated into the main casing;

Figure 14 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (with the gear cover installed) according to the other mode, in which the moving member is in contact with the transmission mechanism;

Fig. 15 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (mounted with the gear cover) according to the other mode, in which the moving member comes into contact with the obstructing portion and pivotally moves;

Figure 16 is a side view of a developer cartridge according to yet another exemplary form, with the gear cover removed;

Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the developer cartridge according to the still another exemplary form, wherein the gear cover has been removed;

Figure 18 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (mounted with the gear cover) according to the still another form, showing a mechanism for detecting a new product when the developer cartridge is installed in the main casing;

Fig. 19 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (mounted with the gear cover) according to the still another form, showing the mechanism for detecting a new product when the front moving part is in contact with the transmission mechanism;

Fig. 20 is a side sectional view of the developer cartridge (mounted with the gear cover) according to the still another form, showing the mechanism for detecting a new product when the front moving member is in contact with the obstructing portion; and

Fig. 21 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the developer cartridge according to the further form of modification, wherein the gear cover has been removed.

Detailed ways

<Overall structure of laser printer>

An image forming apparatus and a developer cartridge according to exemplary forms of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12 . As shown in FIG. 1 , a laser printer 1 includes a main casing 2 , a paper feeding unit 4 and an image forming device 5 . The paper feeding unit 4 and the image forming device 5 are accommodated in the main casing 2 . The paper feeding unit 4 feeds the paper 3 to the image forming device 5 . The image forming device 5 forms a desired image on the supplied paper 3 .

<Structure of main case>

On one side surface (right side in FIG. 1) of the main casing 2 is formed an inlet 2A for inserting and removing a process cartridge 17 which will be described later. The front cover 2B is located on the other side surface of the main casing 2, and can be opened and closed on the inlet 2A. The front cover 2B is rotatably supported by a cover shaft (not shown) inserted through the end of the front cover 2B. When the front cover 2B is closed according to the cover shaft, the front cover 2B closes the entrance 2A, as shown in FIG. 1 . When the front cover 2B is opened (rotated downward) according to the cover shaft, the inlet 2A is opened, and the process box 17 can be loaded into or taken out from the main casing 2 through the inlet 2A.

In the following description, the side provided with the front cover 2B is defined as "front", and the opposite side thereof is defined as "rear".

<Paper Feed Unit Structure>

The paper feed unit 4 is located in the lower half of the main housing 2 and includes a paper feed tray 6 , a paper platen 7 , a paper feed roller 8 , a paper feed pad 9 , paper dust removal rollers 10 , 11 , and a pair of alignment rollers 12 . The paper feed tray 6 is detachably attached to the main casing 2 . A paper platen 7 is pivotably provided inside the paper feed tray 6 . A paper feed roller 8 and a paper feed pad 9 are provided on one end of the paper feed tray 6 . The paper dust removing rollers 10 , 11 are located downstream of the paper feed roller 8 in the conveying direction of the paper 3 . The registration roller 12 is located downstream of the paper dust removing rollers 10 , 11 in the transport direction of the paper 3 .

The paper platen 7 is used to support a stack of paper 3 . The platen 7 is pivotally supported at its end remote from the feed roller 8 so that the other end of the platen 7 , that is, the end closer to the feed roller 8 , is vertically movable. Although not shown in the figure, the back of the platen 7 is provided with a spring that presses the platen 7 upward. Accordingly, the platen 7 pivots downward as the number of sheets 3 stacked on the platen 7 increases. At this time, the platen 7 rotates downwards according to its end far away from the paper feed roller 8 to overcome the thrust of the spring. The paper feed roller 8 and the paper feed pad 9 are arranged facing each other. A spring 13 is arranged under the paper feeding pad 9 to push the paper feeding pad 9 toward the paper feeding roller 8 .

The pushing force of the spring below the platen 7 pushes the uppermost sheet of paper 3 on the platen 7 toward the paper feed roller 8, so that the rotation of the paper feed roller 8 makes the uppermost sheet of paper 3 between the paper feed roller 8 and the separation pad 13 move. In this way, the paper sheets 3 are separated one at a time from the stack and supplied to the paper dust removing rollers 10,11.

The paper dust removing rollers 10 and 11 remove paper dust from the supplied paper 3 and further convey it to the registration roller 12 . A pair of alignment rollers 12 performs an alignment operation on the supplied paper 3 as required. The paper 3 is then conveyed to an image forming position. At the image forming position, the photosensitive drum 27 and the transfer roller 30 are in contact with each other. In other words, the image forming position is a transfer position where a visible toner image is transferred from the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 to the paper 3 when the paper 3 passes between the photosensitive drum 27 and the transfer roller 30 .

The paper feeding unit 4 further includes a multi-purpose tray 14 , a multi-purpose paper feed roller 15 and a multi-purpose paper feed pad 25 . The multi-purpose paper feed roller 15 and the multi-purpose paper feed pad 25 are arranged opposite to each other for feeding the paper 3 stacked on the multi-purpose tray 14 . A spring 26 is arranged under the multi-function paper feeding pad 25 to push the multi-function paper feeding pad 25 upward to the multi-function paper feeding roller 15 .

The multi-purpose paper feed roller 15 rotates to move the paper 3 one at a time from the stack of paper on the multi-purpose tray 14 to a position between the multi-purpose paper feed pad 25 and the multi-purpose paper feed roller 15, so that The sheets 3 on 14 are supplied to the image forming position one at a time.

<Structure of Imaging Area>

The image forming section 5 includes a scanning section 16 , a process cartridge 17 and a fixing section 18 .

<Scan Area Structure>

The scanning area 16 is located on the upper part of the housing 2 and is equipped with a laser emitting area (not shown), a driven rotating polygon mirror 19 , lenses 20 , 21 , and mirrors 22 , 23 , 24 . The laser emitting area emits a laser beam based on required image data. As shown by the dotted line in Fig. 1, in the high-speed scanning operation, the laser beam sequentially passes through the mirror 19, the lens 20, the reflectors 22 and 23, the lens 21, and the reflector 24 is transmitted or reflected and irradiated to the process box 17. on the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 .

<Construction of Process Cartridge>

The process box 17 is located below the scanning device 16 and includes a process frame 51 detachably housed in the main casing 2 . In the process frame 51 , the process cartridge 17 also includes a developer cartridge 28 , a photosensitive drum 27 , a scorotron charger 29 , a conductive brush 52 , and a transfer roller 30 .

The processing frame 51 includes an upper frame 53 and a lower frame 54 . A paper transport path is formed between the upper frame 53 and the lower frame 54, and the paper 3 is transported along the cover paper transport path. The upper frame 53 accommodates the photosensitive drum 27 , the charger 29 and the brush 52 . The developer cartridge 28 is detachably mounted on the upper frame 53 . The lower frame 54 accommodates the transfer roller 30 .

The photosensitive drum 27 has a cylindrical shape. The outermost surface of the photosensitive drum 27 is formed of a positively charged photosensitive layer of polycarbonate or the like. The photosensitive drum 27 is supported on the upper frame 53 by a metal drum shaft (not shown) extending along the length of the photosensitive drum 27 and passing through its axis. The photosensitive drum 27 can rotate in the processing frame 51 according to the drum axis. In addition, the photosensitive drum 27 is driven to rotate by a driving force input from a motor 59 (see FIG. 4 ).

The charger 29 is supported on the upper frame 53 at a position on the upper frame 53 facing the photosensitive drum 27 . The charger 29 is at a predetermined distance from the photosensitive drum 27 to avoid contact therewith. The charger 29 is a positive charging type corona charger that generates a corona discharge from a discharge wire made of tungsten or the like, thereby forming a uniform positive charge on the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 .

The transfer roller 30 faces the photosensitive drum 27 and contacts the photosensitive drum 27 from below. The transfer roller 30 is supported on the lower frame 54 so as to be rotatable in the direction indicated by the arrow (counterclockwise in FIG. 1 ). The transfer roller 30 is an ion-conductive transfer roller formed by covering a roller made of a conductive rubber material on a metal roller shaft. During the conveying operation, a transfer bias is applied to the transfer roller 30 by constant flow control. In addition, the transfer roller 30 is driven to rotate by the driving force input from the motor 59 .

The brush 52 is opposed to the photosensitive drum 27 on its rear side (left side in FIG. 1 ). The brush 52 is fixed to the upper frame 53 so that the movable end of the brush 52 comes into contact with the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 .

The developer cartridge 28 includes a casing 55 and the developing roller 31 , the thickness regulating blade 32 and the supply roller 33 inside the casing 55 .

The developer cartridge 28 is detachably mounted on the process frame 51 . Thus, when the process cartridge 17 is loaded into the main casing 2, the front cover 2B is opened first, and then the developer cartridge 28 is inserted through the inlet 2A and mounted on the process cartridge 17, thereby installing the developer cartridge 28. into the main housing 2.

The casing 55 has a box shape with the back open. A partition 56 is provided in the middle of the housing 55 along the front-rear direction to partition the inner space of the housing 55 . The front area of the casing 55 partitioned by the partition 56 is used as the toner containing box 34 for accommodating toner, and the rear section of the casing 55 partitioned by the partition 56 is used as the developing cartridge 57 in which the developing roller 31 is arranged. , the thickness adjustment blade 32 and the supply roller 33 . An opening 37 is formed below the partition 56 to allow the toner to pass through in the front-rear direction.

The toner accommodating box 34 contains positively charged non-magnetic one-component toner. In this embodiment, polymerized toner is used as the toner. Polymeric toner is basically spherical particles and has excellent fluidity. To make polymerized toner, polymerized monomers are subjected to a copolymerization process such as suspension polymerization. Examples of polymerizable monomers include styrene-type monomers or acrylic-type monomers. An example of a styrenic monomer is styrene. Examples of acrylic monomers are acrylic acid, alkyl (C1-C4) acrylates and alkyl (C1-C4) methacrylates. Since the polymerized toner has excellent fluidity, image development can be reliably performed to form high-quality images. Materials such as waxes and colorants are dispersed in toner. The colorant may be, for example, carbon black. In addition, external additives such as silica may be added to the toner to further improve fluidity. The particle size of the toner is about 6-10 μm.

The center of the toner containing box 34 is provided with an agitator shaft 35 . The stirrer shaft 35 is rotatably supported in the side wall 58 of the housing 55 (see FIG. 4 ). The side walls 58 are laterally opposed to each other (directions perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the vertical direction), but are separated from each other by a predetermined distance. The stirrer 36 is arranged on the stirrer rotating shaft 35 . The motor 59 (see FIG. 4 ) generates a driving force input to the agitator shaft 35 to drive the agitator 36 to rotate. The toner in the toner accommodating case 34 is agitated by driving the agitator 36 to rotate so that part of the toner is discharged toward the supply roller 33 through the opening 37 formed below the partition 56 .

The toner viewing window 38 (see FIG. 4 ) is provided on the two side walls 58 of the casing 55 corresponding to the positions of the toner container 34 for observing the amount of remaining toner in the toner container 34 . The toner viewing windows 38 are opposed to each other in the lateral direction of the toner containing box 34 . A light-emitting element (not shown) is disposed outside one toner viewing window 38 on the main casing 2 , and a light-receiving element (not shown) is disposed outside the other toner viewing window 38 on the main casing 2 . Light emitted from the light emitting element enters the toner containing case 34 through the toner viewing window 38 . When light passes through the toner containing case 34 and exits from the other toner observation window 38, the light receiving element detects the light as detection light. Based on the detection results, the laser printer 1 can determine the amount of remaining toner. In addition, a cleaner 39 is disposed on the agitator rotating shaft 35 for cleaning the toner viewing window 38 .

The supply roller 33 is located behind the opening 37 and includes a metal supply roller shaft 60 and a sponge roller 61 made of conductive foam material covering it. The metal supply roller shaft 60 is rotatably supported on the two side walls 58 of the casing 55 at positions corresponding to the developing cartridge 57 . The supply roller 33 is driven to rotate by the driving force input from the motor 59 to the metal supply roller shaft 60 .

The developing roller 31 is located behind the supply roller 33 and is in pressure contact with the supply roller 33 so that both are pressed. The developing roller 31 includes a metal developing roller shaft 62 and is formed of a rubber roller 63 made of a conductive rubber material covering the metal developing roller shaft 62 . The metal developing roller shaft 62 is rotatably supported on the two side walls 58 of the casing 55 at positions corresponding to the developing cartridge 57 . The rubber roller 63 is more specifically formed of conductive urethane rubber or silicone rubber containing fine carbon particles, and its surface is coated with fluorine-containing urethane rubber or silicone rubber. The developing roller 31 is driven to rotate by the driving force supplied from the motor 59 to the metal developing roller shaft 62 . A developing bias is applied to the developing roller 31 during the developing operation.

The layer thickness regulating blade 32 is close to the developing roller 31 . The layer thickness adjusting scraper 32 includes a scraper made of metal reeds and a pressing member 40 arranged at the movable end of the scraper. The cross-sectional view of the pressing member 40 is semicircular. The pressing member 40 is formed of silicone rubber having electrical insulating properties. The layer thickness regulating blade 32 is supported on the casing 55 at a position close to the developing roller 31 . The resilient force of the blade presses the pressing member 40 against the surface of the developing roller 31 .

The supply roller 33 supplies the developing roller 31 with the toner discharged through the opening 37 by rotating. At this time, the toner is positively charged due to frictional electricity generated between the supply roller 33 and the developing roller 31 . Then, as the developing roller 31 rotates, the toner supplied to the developing roller 31 moves between the developing roller 31 and the pressing member 40 of the layer thickness regulating blade 32 . This enables the thickness of the toner on the surface of the developing roller 31 to be reduced to a thin layer of uniform thickness.

As the photosensitive drum 27 rotates, the charger 29 charges the photosensitive drum 27 so that its surface is uniformly positive. Subsequently, the scanning unit 16 irradiates a laser beam on the positively charged surface of the housing 55 in high-speed scanning to form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to an image to be formed on the paper 3 .

Then, a reverse development operation is performed. That is, as the developing roller 31 rotates, the positively charged toner carried on the surface of the developing roller 31 comes into contact with the photosensitive drum 27 . At this time, the toner on the developing roller 31 is supplied to the low potential area of the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum 27 . As a result, the toner is selectively loaded on the photosensitive drum 27, causing the electrostatic latent image to appear as a visible toner image.

Subsequently, as the registration roller 12 conveys the sheet 3 past the transfer position between the photosensitive drum 27 and the transfer roller 30 , the toner image loaded on the photosensitive drum 27 is deflected by the transfer applied to the transfer roller 30 . Pressed and transferred to paper 3. After the toner image is transferred, the paper 3 is conveyed to the fixing unit 18 .

During the conveying operation, paper dust is deposited on the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 when the photosensitive drum 27 comes into contact with the paper 3 . Since the photosensitive drum 27 continues to rotate after the transfer operation, the brush 52 removes the toner on the photosensitive drum 27 with the relative rotation of the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 and the brush 52 .

In the laser printer 1 , toner remaining on the surface of the photosensitive drum 27 is recovered by the developing roller 31 after primary transfer to the paper 3 . That is, the residual toner is recovered using a so-called detergent-free method. By recovering the residual toner using the detergent-free method, the use of a toner removing device and a waste toner storage is eliminated, and the structure of the device is simplified.

<Fixing Area Structure>

As shown in FIG. 1 , the fixing section 18 is located on the downstream side of the process cartridge 17 and includes a heating roller 41 , a pressing roller 42 and a conveying roller 43 . The pressing roller 42 presses the heating roller 41 . The conveying roller 43 is provided on the downstream side of the heating roller 41 and the pressing roller 42 .

The heat roller 41 includes a metal tube and a halogen lamp therein. The metal tube is heated by the halogen lamp so that the toner transferred to the paper 3 is thermally fixed on the paper 3 when the paper 3 in the process cartridge 17 passes between the heating roller 41 and the pressing roller 42 . Then, the paper 3 is transported to the paper discharge path 44 by the conveying roller 43 and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 46 by the paper discharge roller 45 .

<Structure of duplex printing mechanism>

The laser printer 1 is further equipped with a reversing transport device 47 (duplex printing mechanism) for reversing the paper 3 that has been printed once and returning the paper 3 to the image forming device 5, thereby forming images on both sides of the paper 3 . The reverse conveying device 47 includes a paper discharge roller 45 , a reverse conveying channel 48 , a movable baffle 49 , and a plurality of reverse conveying rollers 50 .

The discharge rollers 45 are a pair of rollers that can rotate forward or reverse. The discharge roller 45 rotates forward to discharge the paper 3 onto the discharge tray 46, and rotates in the reverse direction when the paper is reversed.

The reverse transport roller 50 is located below the image forming device 5 . The reverse conveyance path 48 extends vertically between the discharge roller 45 and the reverse conveyance roller 50 . The upstream end of the reverse conveyance path 48 is close to the discharge roller 45 and its downstream end is close to the reverse conveyance roller 50 , so that the paper 3 can be conveyed downward from the discharge roller 45 to the reverse conveyance roller 50 .

The movable baffle 49 is swingably arranged at the intersection between the paper discharge channel 44 and the reverse transport channel 48 . By energizing or de-energizing an electromagnetic coil (not shown), the movable shutter 49 can be selectively oscillated between the direction shown by the dashed line and the direction shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 . The direction indicated by the solid line in FIG. 1 is the direction in which the single-sided printed paper 3 is conveyed to the discharge roller 45 . The direction indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 1 is the direction in which paper is conveyed from the discharge roller 45 into the reverse conveyance path 48 , rather than the direction in which it is reversed into the paper discharge path 44 .

The reverse transport roller 50 is positioned horizontally above the paper feed tray 6 . A pair of reverse conveying rollers 50 furthest upstream is near the rear end of the reverse conveying passage 48 . A pair of reverse transfer rollers 50 furthest downstream is located below the calibration rollers 12 .

When forming images on both sides of the sheet 3, the inverting transport device 47 operates in the following manner. The paper 3 on which an image has been formed on one side is conveyed from a paper discharge path 44 to a paper discharge roller 45 by a conveyance roller 43 . The paper discharge roller 45 rotates forwardly with the paper 3 sandwiched therebetween until almost all the paper 3 is sent out from the laser printer 1 to the top of the paper discharge tray 46 . Once the end of the paper 3 is positioned between the paper discharge rollers 45, the paper discharge rollers 45 stop rotating in the forward direction. Then, the movable flapper 49 switches the conveying direction of the paper 3 to the reverse conveying path 48, and at the same time, drives the paper discharge roller 45 to rotate in reverse. As a result, the sheet 3 is conveyed into the reverse conveyance path 48 . Once the paper 3 is transported to the reverse transport path 48, the movable flap 49 returns to its original position. That is, the flapper 49 is turned back to the position where the paper is conveyed from the transport roller 43 to the discharge roller 45 .

Then, the reversed sheet 3 is conveyed through the reverse conveyance path 48 to the reverse conveyance roller 50 , and then from the reverse conveyance roller 50 to the registration roller 12 . The alignment roller 12 aligns the leading edge of the paper 3 . Then, the sheet 3 is carried to an image forming position. At this time, since the image is formed on the paper 3, the upper and lower surfaces of the paper 3 are turned over so that an image can be formed on the other side. Thus, images are formed on both sides of the paper 3 .

A discharge sensor 64 is provided upstream of the discharge path 44 along the discharge roller 45 . Whenever the paper 3 passes the paper discharge sensor 64 along the paper discharge direction of the paper discharge channel 44 , the paper discharge sensor 64 will rotate along the axis. The CPU 100 (see FIG. 4 ) located in the main housing 2 counts the number of rotations of the sheet discharge sensor 64 and stores the number of the number of sheets pulled.

In the laser printer 1 having such a structure, the CPU 100 determines whether the developer cartridge 28 mounted in the main casing 2 is a new product, and when it is determined to be brand new, determines the maximum number of sheets that can be printed by the developer cartridge 28, This will be described below. The CPU 100 compares the actual number of printed sheets since the installation of the new developer cartridge 28 with the maximum printable number of the developer cartridge 28, and when the actual number of printed sheets is close to the number of printable sheets, a toner-use Do not warn.

<Structure to Detect New Developer Cartridge According to Exemplary Form>

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the developer cartridge with the gear cover installed according to the exemplary form. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the developer cartridge with the gear cover removed according to the exemplary form. Fig. 4 is a side view of the developer cartridge with the gear cover removed according to the exemplary form. 5 to 11 are side sectional views of the gear cover-mounted developer cartridge according to this exemplary form, showing a mechanism for detecting a new product.

As shown in FIG. 4, the developer cartridge 28 includes a gear mechanism 65 for rotating the agitator shaft 35 of the agitator 36, the metal supply roller shaft 60 of the supply roller 33, and the metal developing roller shaft 62 of the developing roller 31, and for A gear cover 66 covering the gear mechanism 65 is shown in FIG. 2 .

The gear mechanism 65 is provided on one side wall of the casing 55 constituting the developer cartridge 28 . The gear mechanism 65 includes an input gear 67 , a supply roller transmission gear 68 , a developer roller transmission gear 69 , an intermediate gear 70 , and an agitator transmission gear 71 .

The input gear 67 is located between the metal developing roller shaft 62 and the agitator shaft 35 and is rotatably supported on an input gear support shaft 72 protruding laterally from one side wall 58 . A coupling receiving portion 73 is provided at the shaft center of the input gear 67 for inputting driving force from the motor 59 provided in the main housing 2 when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main housing 2 .

The supply roller transmission gear 68 is arranged on the shaft end of the metal supply roller shaft 60 , below the input gear 67 so as to mesh with the input gear 67 . The supply roller drive gear 68 cannot rotate according to the metal supply roller shaft 60 .

The developer roller transmission gear 69 is arranged on the shaft end of the metal developing roller shaft 62 , behind and below the diagonal corner of the input gear 67 , so as to mesh with the input gear 67 . The developer roller transmission gear 69 cannot rotate on the metal developing roller shaft 62 .

The intermediate gear 70 is rotatably supported in front of the input gear 67 on an intermediate gear support shaft 74 . The intermediate gear support shaft 74 protrudes laterally from the side wall 58 . The intermediate gear 70 is a two-stage gear integrally formed by external teeth 75 meshing with the input gear 67 and internal teeth 76 meshing with the agitator transmission gear 71 .

The agitator transmission gear 71 is arranged on the shaft end of the agitator rotating shaft 35 , diagonally before and below the intermediate gear 70 . The agitator transmission gear 71 cannot rotate according to the agitator shaft 35 .

The motor 59 is coupled to the coupling receiving portion 73 in the developer cartridge 28 when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2 . Therefore, the input gear 67 starts to rotate when the motor 59 is driven. When the input gear 67 rotates, the supply roller transmission gear 68, the developer roller transmission gear 69, and the intermediate gear 70 directly connected to the input gear 67, and the agitator transmission gear 71 connected to the input gear 67 through the intermediate gear 70 follow the of rotation.

A cylindrical portion 77 is formed on the intermediate gear 70 , which protrudes laterally beyond the end surface of the opposite side of the external tooth 75 and the internal tooth 76 . Two moving parts 78 are attached to the end face of the cylindrical portion 77 on the side opposite to the external teeth 75 . Each moving member 78 is substantially rod-shaped and has a base end and a top end. The base end of each moving member 78 is pivotally supported on a pivot shaft 79 projecting laterally beyond the end face of the cylindrical portion 77 on the side opposite to the external teeth 75 . The top end of each moving member 78 extends outward in the radial direction of the intermediate gear support shaft 74 . Two pivot shafts 79 supporting the two moving parts 78 are provided on the end surface of the cylindrical portion 77 at an interval which is 90 degrees with respect to the intermediate gear support shaft 74 .

The moving member 78 can pass through a detection position (passing position) described below without being hindered by the contact barb 86 (described below), even if the moving member 78 comes into contact with the contact barb 86 at the detection position. The moving part 78 is coupled to the pivot 79 with an appropriate frictional force, so that the moving part 78 is allowed to pivot when contacting the blocking part 94 (described below).

The number of moving members 78 corresponds to the information on the amount of toner contained in the toner containing case 34 when a new developer cartridge 28 is used. In other words, the number of moving members 78 corresponds to the maximum number of sheets 3 capable of forming an image with respect to the amount of toner contained in the toner containing box 34 (hereinafter referred to as the maximum number of printable sheets).

More specifically, when two moving parts 78 are provided as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 , the maximum number of printable sheets corresponding to the number of moving parts 78 is 6000. When only one moving part 78 is provided, the maximum number of printable sheets corresponding to the number of moving parts 78 is 3000.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a gear cover 66 is installed on one side wall 58 of the developer cartridge 28 to cover the gear mechanism 65 . The rear side of the gear cover 66 is formed with an opening 80 for exposing the coupling receiving portion 73 . In addition, an intermediate gear cover 92 is formed on the front side of the gear cover 66 to cover the intermediate gear 70 .

The intermediate gear cover 92 is integrally provided with: a substantially cylindrical outer peripheral wall 92A, which protrudes laterally beyond the gear cover 66 to accommodate the intermediate gear 70; and an end wall for covering the outer end surface of the outer peripheral wall 92A in the latitudinal direction 92B. The detection window 93 is an opening formed in the rear portion of the intermediate gear cover 92 along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral wall 92A. The detection window 93 exposes the top end of the moving member 78 that moves in a circle as the intermediate gear 70 rotates.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the obstructing portion 94 is formed on the lower edge of the detection window 93 and extends backward into the intermediate gear cover 92 . The obstructing portion 94 is located downstream of the detection position with respect to the moving direction of the moving member 78 .

The main casing 2 is provided with an information detection mechanism 81 and a CPU 100 . The information detection mechanism 81 detects the passage of the moving part 78 . The CPU 100 determines information on the developer cartridge 28 based on the number of times the information detection mechanism 81 checks the moving member 78 . More specifically, the CPU 100 determines whether the installed developer cartridge 28 is new, and determines the maximum number of printable sheets of the developer cartridge 28 when the developer cartridge 28 is new, as described above.

When the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2, as shown in FIG. The information detection mechanism 81 includes an actuator 82 and an optical sensor 83 .

The actuator 82 is pivotally supported on a pivot 84 protruding laterally inwardly on the inner surface of the main housing 2 . The actuator 82 is integrally provided with: a cylindrical insertion portion 85 inserted with the pivot 84, a contact barb 86 extending forward from the cylindrical insertion portion 85 as a contact portion, and a light extending backward from the cylindrical insertion portion 85. Blocking part 87.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the contact barb 86 is slightly inclined downward, and the light blocking portion 87 extends substantially along the horizontal direction. The thickness of the light blocking portion 87 in the vertical direction is sufficient to block the detection light emitted by the optical sensor 83 .

A spring engaging portion 88 is formed at a midpoint in the length direction on the light blocking portion 87 . One end of the tension spring 89 is engaged with the spring engaging portion 88 . The tension spring 89 extends downward from the spring engaging portion 88, and its other end is fixed on the inner surface of the main housing 2 (not shown).

Protruding stoppers 90 are formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical insertion portion 85 to protrude radially outward from the top side of the cylindrical insertion portion 85 . A detent contact portion 91 is formed on the main housing 2 near the rear side of the protruding detent 90 and contacts it. As shown in FIG. 4 , the blocking portion 87 of the actuator 82 is continuously pushed down by the tension spring 89 . The thrust is limited by the protruding detent 90 in contact with the detent contact 91 . In this state, the actuator 82 is held such that the light blocking portion 87 extends substantially in the horizontal direction, and the contact barb 86 is slightly inclined downward from the front side. In this state, the contact tooth 86 of the actuator 82 is located at the detection position, where the information detection mechanism 81 detects the passage of the moving part 78 , that is, the position where the moving part 78 passes the information detection mechanism 81 .

As will be described below, when the moving member 78 contacts the contact barb 86 at the detection position, the contact barb 86 of the contact actuator 82 is pressed downward. Accordingly, the light blocking portion 87 rotates upward and the contact barb 86 rotates downward around the cylindrical insertion portion 85 in a direction against the urging force of the tension spring 89 (see FIGS. 6 and 8 ). As a result, the protruding detent 90 is separated from the detent contact portion 91 . Subsequently, when the contact between the moving part 78 and the contact barb 86 is broken, the thrust of the tension spring 89 causes the light blocking part 87 to rotate downward according to the cylindrical insertion part 85 and the contact barb 86 is upward according to the cylindrical insertion part 85. Rotate until the protruding detent 90 contacts the detent contact 91 (see Figures 7 and 9).

Although not shown in the drawings, the optical sensor 83 is provided on a substantially U-shaped base member in plan view, and is open at one end so that the light emitting element and the light receiving element of the optical sensor 83 face each other with an interval. The optical sensor 83 is arranged such that the light blocking portion 87 of the actuator 82 is inserted between the base members. More specifically, as mentioned above (see Fig. 6 and Fig. 8), the optical sensor 83 is set so that: when the actuator 82 is in its standard state (see Fig. 5), the light blocking part 87 blocks the light emitted from the light emitting element. When the moving part 78 contacts the barb tooth 86 and causes the light blocking part 87 to rotate upward, the probe light emitted from the light emitting element to the light receiving element is received by the light receiving element.

<Operation to Detect New Developer Cartridge According to This Exemplary Form>

A method of determining whether the developer cartridge 28 installed in the main casing is new or old, and determining the maximum number of printable sheets of the developer cartridge 28 will be described below.

In this method, the front cover 2B is opened, and the process cartridge 17 containing a new developer cartridge is inserted into the main casing 2 from the inlet 2A. Alternatively, the front cover 2B is opened, and a new developer cartridge 28 is inserted into the process cartridge 17 already mounted on the main casing 2 from the inlet 2A.

As shown in FIG. 5 , two moving members 78 are provided on the intermediate gear 70 in the developer cartridge 28 . When the developer cartridge 28 is new, as shown in FIG. 5 , the moving member 78 is arranged to extend in the radial direction of the intermediate gear support shaft 74 (first position). At the same time, the moving part 78 is located upstream of the detection position. Therefore, when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2, the moving member 78 does not come into contact with the contact tooth 86 of the actuator 82, and the actuator 82 is in a position where the light blocking portion 87 blocks the detection light of the optical sensor 83. regular state.

Furthermore, when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2, a coupling insertion portion (not shown) for transmitting the driving force from the motor 59 in the main casing 2 is inserted into the input gear in the developer cartridge 28. 67 in the connection receiving part 73. As a result, the driving force from the motor 59 drives the input gear 67 , the supply roller transmission gear 68 , the developer roller transmission gear 69 , the intermediate gear 70 , and the agitator transmission gear 71 of the gear mechanism 65 .

Then, when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2, the CPU 100 starts a warm-up process to perform an operation in which the agitator 36 is idling.

In the idling operation, the CPU 100 drives the motor 59 provided in the main housing 2 . The driving force of the motor 59 is input from the coupling insertion portion to the input gear 67 of the developer cartridge 28 through the coupling receiving portion 73 and drives the input gear 67 to rotate. At this time, the supply roller transmission gear 68 meshing with the input gear 67 is driven to rotate. Rotation of the metal supply roll shaft 60 in turn causes the supply roll 33 to rotate. In addition, the developer roller drive gear 697 meshing with the input gear 67 is driven to rotate, and the rotation of the metal developing roller shaft 62 in turn causes the developing roller 31 to rotate. Furthermore, the intermediate gear 70 meshing with the input gear 67 is driven to rotate via the external teeth 75 , causing the internal teeth 76 integrally formed with the external teeth 75 to also rotate. When the internal teeth 76 of the intermediate gear 70 rotate, the agitator transmission gear 71 meshing with the internal teeth 76 is driven to rotate. The rotation of the agitator shaft 35 rotates the agitator 36, which agitates the toner in the toner containing case 34 and generates a toner flow.

When the intermediate gear 70 is driven to rotate, the moving member 78 mounted on the cylindrical portion 77 moves in the circumferential direction A (counterclockwise in FIG. 5 ). At this time, as shown in FIG. 6 , the top end of the (front) guide moving part 78 contacts the contact tooth 86 of the actuator 82 at the detection position during the downward movement. The actuator 82 rotates around the cylindrical insertion portion 85 against the thrust of the tension spring 89 so that the contact barb 86 moves downward and the light blocking portion 87 moves upward, as shown by arrow B in FIG. 6 . Thus, the light receiving element receives detection light from the optical sensor 83 which was blocked by the light blocking portion 87 when the actuator 82 was in the normal state until then. The optical sensor 83 sends a reception signal to the CPU 100 according to the received light. The CPU 100 recognizes this received signal as the first received signal, and will reset the number of printed sheets detected by the discharge sensor 64 .

As the intermediate gear 70 is further driven to rotate, the top of the guide moving part 78 further presses the contact barb 86 while sliding along the contact barb 86, and then passes through and is separated from the contact barb 86, as shown in FIG. 7 . Therefore, when the contact between the moving part 78 and the contact barb tooth 86 is removed, the thrust of the tension spring 89 causes the actuator 82 to rotate around the cylindrical insert 85 in the direction opposite to the arrow B in FIG. The contact barb 86 is moved up and the light interrupter 87 is moved down until the actuator 82 returns to its normal state. At this time, the light blocking portion 87 again blocks the detection light of the optical sensor 83 that has been received by the light receiving element.

When the intermediate gear 70 is further driven to rotate, the top end of the (rear) tail moving part 78 is in contact with the contact tooth 86 of the actuator 82 at the detection position during the downward movement, as shown in FIG. 8 . The actuator 82 rotates around the cylindrical insertion portion 85 against the thrust of the tension spring 89 so that the contact barb 86 moves downward and the light blocking portion 87 moves upward, as shown by arrow B in FIG. 6 . Thus, the light receiving element receives detection light from the optical sensor 83 which was blocked by the light blocking portion 87 when the actuator 82 was in the normal state until then. The optical sensor 83 sends a reception signal to the CPU 100 according to the received light. CPU 100 recognizes the received signal as the second received signal.

As the intermediate gear 70 is further driven to rotate, the top end of the tail (rear) moving part 78 further presses the contact barb 86 while sliding along the contact barb 86, and then passes through and is separated from the contact barb 86, as shown in FIG. 9. Therefore, when the contact between the moving part 78 and the contact barb tooth 86 is removed, the thrust of the tension spring 89 causes the actuator 82 to rotate around the cylindrical insert 85 in the direction opposite to the arrow B in FIG. The contact barb 86 is moved up and the light interrupter 87 is moved down until the actuator 82 returns to its normal state. At this time, the light blocking portion 87 again blocks the detection light of the optical sensor 83 that has been received by the light receiving element.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 , after each moving member 78 has passed the detection position, the top end of each member comes into contact with the blocking portion 94 . As the intermediate gear 70 is further driven to rotate from this position, each moving part 78 is forced to rotate on its respective pivot 79 while sliding against the obstructing part 94, until the top end of the moving part 78 is reached and does not protrude beyond the cylindrical part 77. at the location of the outer surface (second location). Thus, the moving member 78 is irreversibly switched (transferred) from the first position to the second position due to the frictional force between the moving member 78 and the pivot shaft 79 pivotally supporting the moving member 78 .

After the moving part 78 turns into the second position, as the intermediate gear 70 continues to rotate, the top end of the moving part 78 no longer passes through the detection position. Thus, the blocking portion 94 again prevents the moving member 78 from passing the detection position. Therefore, after the CPU 100 recognizes the second received signal, the actuator 82 no longer rotates with the rotation of the intermediate gear 70 , and the light receiving element no longer receives detection light from the optical sensor 83 .

During this idling operation, the CPU 100 determines whether or not the developer cartridge 28 is new based on whether or not a received signal is input from the optical sensor 83, and determines the maximum usable value of the developer cartridge 28 based on the number of received signals input from the optical sensor 83. number of printed sheets. More specifically, in the example shown in FIGS. 5 to 11, the CPU 100 determines that the developer cartridge 28 is new based on recognizing the first received signal, as described above.

Furthermore, the CPU 100 associates the number of input received signals with information on the maximum number of printable sheets. Specifically, for example, when two received signals are input, the CPU 100 associates the number as a maximum of 6000 sheets to be printed. When a single received signal is input, the CPU 100 associates this number as a maximum of 3000 sheets to be printed.

In the examples of FIGS. 5 to 11 described above, the CPU 100 recognizes the first and second received signals within a predetermined duration before the end of the idling operation. After recognizing the second received signal, the CPU 100 determines the maximum number of printable sheets of the new developer cartridge 28 as 6000.

Thus, when the developer cartridge 28 in the example of FIGS. After the developer cartridge 28 is installed, the CPU 100 counts the actual number of printed sheets detected by the discharge sensor 64, and when the actual number of printed sheets approaches or reaches 6,000, it issues a toner end warning (not shown) through the control panel, etc. ).

However, when one of the two moving parts 78 (the tail moving part 78) is omitted from the example of FIGS. 5 to 11 so that the developer cartridge 28 is equipped with only one moving part 78 (see FIG. Kit 28 only recognizes a received signal. Therefore, the CPU 100 determines that the developer cartridge 28 is new and that the maximum number of printable sheets of the developer cartridge 28 is 3000. After the developer cartridge 28 is installed, the CPU 100 counts the actual number of printed sheets detected by the discharge sensor 64, and when the actual number of printed sheets approaches or reaches 3000, it issues a toner end warning (not shown) through the control panel, etc. ).

However, if a new developer cartridge 28 loaded in the main casing 2 is temporarily taken out and then reloaded, the CPU 100 starts the warm-up process to perform an idle operation to rotate the agitator 36 . At this time, as described above, the moving member 78 does not pass the detection position, and the optical sensor 83 does not input a reception signal to the CPU 100 . Therefore, the CPU 100 determines that the developer cartridge 28 is old because no received signal is recognized during the idling.

Here, the developer cartridge 28 according to the present invention is not limited to the structure having one or two moving parts 78 but three or more moving parts 78 may be configured. In this case, the CPU 100 can determine the information of the developer cartridges 28 corresponding to the number of the moving members 78 .

<Effects to Detect New Developer Cartridge According to This Exemplary Form>

In the laser printer 1 as described above, the motor 59 drives the intermediate gear 70 when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2 . When the intermediate gear 70 is driven, the moving member 78 moves and passes the detection position. The information detection mechanism 81 detects the passage of the moving part 78 . The CPU 100 determines information related to the developer cartridge 28 (whether the developer cartridge 28 is new, and if new, The maximum number of printable sheets of the developer cartridge 28). Therefore, with a simple structure equipped with a single information detection mechanism 81, the laser printer 1 capable of ascertaining information on the developer cartridge 28 can be manufactured at a low manufacturing cost.

After the information detection mechanism 81 checks the passage of the moving part 78, the blocking part 94 blocks the moving part 78 to prevent the moving part 78 from passing through the detection position. Therefore, when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2 and the motor 59 drives the intermediate gear 70, the laser printer 1 of this exemplary form can easily and reliably detect the passage of the moving part 78 based on the information detection mechanism 81. Determine whether the developer cartridge 28 is new. Thus, the laser printer 1 can determine the age of the developer cartridge 28 from when it is determined to be new.

Since the information detection mechanism 81 makes way for the moving part 78 when detecting the passage, it is possible to set a plurality of moving parts 78 so that the plurality of moving parts 78 pass through the detection position. As a result, the CPU 100 can specify the information of the plurality of developer cartridges 28 from the number of the moving members 78 detected by the information detection mechanism 81 . If the information on the developer cartridge 28 includes the maximum number of printable sheets according to the amount of toner contained in the developer cartridge 28, it is possible to accurately determine the service life of the developer cartridge 28 loaded in the main casing 2 and properly replacement developer cartridge 28, even when using a developer cartridge 28 with a different toner amount.

After the information detection mechanism 81 detects the passage of the moving part 78 at the first position, the obstructing part 94 blocks the moving part 78 and makes the moving part 78 irreversibly transfer (rotate) to the second position, thereby preventing the information detection mechanism 81 from moving again. The passage of the moving part 78 is detected. Thus, the laser printer 1 capable of ascertaining information about the developer cartridge 28 can be manufactured at low cost by a simple structure having the moving member 78 irreversible from the first position to the second position.

By providing the moving member 78 on the intermediate gear 70 in the developer cartridge 28, it is not necessary to provide a new transmission member for transmitting the driving force of the motor 59 to the moving member 78. Thus, it is possible to manufacture a more compact device while avoiding increases in manufacturing costs and structural complexity.

By disposing the moving member 78 on the intermediate gear 70 whose position is freer than that of the input gear 67 and the agitator transmission gear 71 , the moving member 78 can be positioned at a position that is easier for the information detection mechanism 81 to detect.

In addition, the contact position between the moving member 78 provided on the intermediate gear 70 and the obstructing portion 94 can be determined by providing the obstructing portion 94 on the gear cover 66 and covering the intermediate gear 70 with the gear cover 66 . This structure ensures that the blocking portion 94 can reliably block the moving member 78 .

Since the moving member 78 is arranged to extend in the radial direction of the intermediate gear support shaft 74 at the first position, it is possible to prevent the developer cartridge 28 from being enlarged in the width direction and make the developer cartridge 28 more compact.

Although the moving member 78 contacts the contact barb 86 of the actuator 82 , the mover 78 can pass through the detection position and then contact the blocking portion 94 without being hindered by the contact barb 86 . Thus, the information detection mechanism 81 can reliably detect the passage of the moving member 78 .

<Structure to Detect New Developer Cartridge According to Another Form>

13-15 are side sectional views of a developer cartridge with a gear cover installed according to another form of the present invention, wherein the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid repeated description.

As shown in FIG. 13 , the developer cartridge 28 according to this other form has a moving member 178 . Unlike the substantially rod-shaped moving member 78 in the exemplary form, the moving member 178 according to this alternative form is substantially fan-shaped (or fan-like in shape) and has an arcuate outer peripheral surface 178A. The developer cartridge 28 includes a single moving member 178 attached to the end face of the cylindrical portion 77 on the side opposite to the external teeth 75 . The base end of the moving member 178 is located on the central angle side forming the arc-shaped outer peripheral surface 178A. The moving part 178 is pivotally supported on a pivot shaft 79 located at the base end, and the pivot shaft 79 protrudes laterally from the end face of the cylindrical portion 77 on the side opposite to the external teeth 75 . The top end of the moving member 178 formed with an arcuate outer peripheral surface 178A extends radially outward with respect to the intermediate gear support shaft 74 .

The circumferential length of the arcuate outer peripheral surface 178A serves as information related to the developer cartridge 28 concerning the amount of toner contained in the toner containing case 34 when the developer cartridge 28 is used new. Specifically, the arc-shaped outer peripheral surface 178A corresponds to the maximum number of sheets 3 capable of forming an image with respect to the amount of toner contained in the toner containing box 34 (hereinafter referred to as the maximum number of printable sheets).

More specifically, if the moving part 78 is substantially rod-shaped as shown in FIG. 12 , such a shape corresponds to information that the maximum number of printable sheets is 3000. However, if the moving part 178 is substantially fan-shaped as shown in FIG. 13 , such a shape corresponds to information that the maximum number of printable sheets is 6000.

<Operation to Detect New Developer Cartridge According to Another Form>

A method of determining whether the developer cartridge 28 installed in the main casing according to this other form is new or old, and a method of determining the maximum number of printable sheets of the developer cartridge 28 will be described below.

In this method, the front cover 2B is opened, and the process cartridge 17 containing a new developer cartridge is inserted into the main casing 2 from the inlet 2A. Alternatively, the front cover 2B is opened, and a new developer cartridge 28 is inserted into the process cartridge 17 already mounted on the main casing 2 from the inlet 2A.

As shown in FIG. 13 , a single substantially fan-shaped (or fan-like shape) moving member 178 is provided on the intermediate gear 70 in the developer cartridge 28 . When the developer cartridge 28 is new, as shown in FIG. 13 , the moving member 178 is arranged to extend in the radial direction of the intermediate gear support shaft 74 (first position). Meanwhile, the moving part 178 is located upstream of the detection position. Therefore, when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2, the moving member 178 does not come into contact with the contact tooth 86 of the actuator 82, and the actuator 82 is in a position where the light blocking portion 87 blocks the detection light of the optical sensor 83. regular state.

After the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2, the CPU 100 starts a warm-up operation, performs an idle operation to rotate the agitator 36 . During this operation, the intermediate gear 70 is driven by the motor 59 to rotate therewith, causing the moving member 178 mounted on the cylindrical portion 77 to move in the circumferential direction C (counterclockwise in FIG. 13 ). At this time, as shown in FIG. 14 , the top end of the moving member 178 contacts the contact tooth 86 of the actuator 82 at the detection position during the downward movement. The actuator 82 rotates around the cylindrical insertion part 85 in a direction against the thrust of the tension spring 89, so that the contact barb 86 moves downward and the light blocking part 87 moves upward, as shown by arrow D in FIG. 14 . Thus, the light receiving element receives detection light from the optical sensor 83 which was blocked by the light blocking portion 87 when the actuator 82 was in the normal state until then. The optical sensor 83 sends a reception signal to the CPU 100 according to the received light. The CPU 100 recognizes the received signal as the first received signal, and will reset the number of printed sheets detected by the discharge sensor 64 .

As the intermediate gear 70 is further driven to rotate, the arcuate peripheral surface 178A of the moving member 178 further presses the contact barb 86 while sliding along the contact barb 86 , and then passes and is separated from the contact barb 86 . Thus, when the contact between the moving part 178 and the contact barb 86 is removed, the thrust of the tension spring 89 causes the actuator 82 to rotate around the cylindrical insert 85 in the opposite direction to the arrow D in FIG. The contact barb 86 is moved up and the light interrupter 87 is moved down until the actuator 82 returns to its normal state. At this time, the light blocking portion 87 again blocks the detection light of the optical sensor 83 that has been received by the light receiving element.

As described in the exemplary form, after the moving member 178 passes the detection position, the tip of the moving member 178 comes into contact with the obstructing portion 94 . As the intermediate gear 70 is driven to rotate further from this position, each moving member 178 is forced to rotate on the respective pivot 79 while sliding against the obstructing portion 94 until the arcuate outer peripheral surface 178A of the moving member 178 is reached without protruding At the position on the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 77 (the second position), as shown in FIG. 15 . Thus, the moving member 178 irreversibly switches (transfers) from the first position to the second position due to the frictional force between the moving member 178 and the pivot shaft 79 pivotally supporting the moving member 178 .

As in this exemplary form, after the moving member 178 is turned into the second position, the tip of the moving member 178 no longer passes the detection position as the intermediate gear 70 continues to rotate. Thus, the obstructing portion 94 again prevents the moving member 178 from passing the detection position. Therefore, after the CPU 100 recognizes the first received signal, the actuator 82 no longer rotates with the rotation of the intermediate gear 70 , and the light receiving element no longer receives detection light from the optical sensor 83 .

During this idling operation, the CPU 100 determines whether or not the developer cartridge 28 is new based on whether or not a received signal is input from the optical sensor 83, and determines the maximum usable value of the developer cartridge 28 based on the number of received signals input from the optical sensor 83. number of printed sheets.

Specifically, in another form of idling operation shown in FIGS. 13-15 , the moving member 178 contacts the contact barb 86 as shown in FIG. 14 , and then slides along the contact barb 86 to the detection position. Due to the substantially sector shape, the moving member 178 takes longer to pass through contact with the barb 86 . Accordingly, the optical sensor 83 inputs a received signal to the CPU 100 for a longer time corresponding to this.

However, since the moving member 78 in FIG. 12 is substantially rod-shaped, it takes a short time for the moving member 78 to slide over the contact barb 86 after initial contact with the contact barb 86 in idle operation. Thus, the optical sensor 83 inputs a received signal to the CPU 100 in a short time.

In this way, the CPU 100 can determine the maximum number of printable sheets of the developer cartridge 28 based on the input time when the signal is received. For example, the CPU 100 determines that the maximum number of printable sheets is 3000 when the input time is short, and determines that the maximum number of printable sheets is 6000 when the input time is long.

Therefore, when the developer cartridge 28 in the example of FIGS. After the developer cartridge 28 is installed, the CPU 100 counts the actual number of printed sheets detected by the discharge sensor 64, and when the actual number of printed sheets approaches or reaches 6,000, it issues a toner end warning (not shown) through the control panel, etc. ).

However, if a new developer cartridge 28 loaded in the main casing 2 is temporarily taken out and then reloaded, the CPU 100 starts the warm-up process to perform an idle operation to rotate the agitator 36 . At this time, as described above, the moving member 178 does not pass the detection position, and the optical sensor 83 does not input a reception signal to the CPU 100 . Therefore, the CPU 100 determines that the developer cartridge 28 is old because no received signal is recognized during the idling.

Here, the developer cartridge 28 according to the present invention is not limited to the structure having one moving part 178 but two or more moving parts 178 may be configured.

<Effect to Detect New Developer Cartridge According to the Another Form>

In the laser printer 1 as described above, the motor 59 drives the intermediate gear 70 when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2 . When the intermediate gear 70 is driven, the moving member 178 moves and passes the detection position. The information detection mechanism 81 detects the passage of the moving part 178 . The CPU 100 determines the relevant information of the developer cartridge 28 (whether the developer cartridge 28 is new, and if new, maximum printable paper duration of the developer cartridge 28). Therefore, with a simple structure equipped with a single information detection mechanism 81, the laser printer 1 capable of ascertaining information on the developer cartridge 28 can be manufactured at a low manufacturing cost.

After the information detection mechanism 81 checks the passage of the moving part 178, the blocking part 94 blocks the moving part 178 to prevent it from passing through the detection position. Therefore, when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2 and the motor 59 drives the intermediate gear 70, the laser printer 1 according to this other form can easily and reliably detect the passage of the moving part 178 according to the information detection mechanism 81 It is determined whether the developer cartridge 28 is new or not. Thus, the laser printer 1 can determine the age of the developer cartridge 28 from when it is determined to be new.

Furthermore, by setting the circumference of the arc-shaped outer peripheral surface 178A of the fan-shaped (circular segment shape) moving member 178 to correspond to the information (maximum number of printable sheets) of the developer cartridge 28, the CPU 100 can The duration of the moving member 178 is detected to determine information of a plurality of developer cartridges 28 corresponding to these perimeters.

After the information detection mechanism 81 detects the passage of the moving part 178 at the first position, the obstructing part 94 blocks the moving part 178 and makes the moving part 178 irreversibly transfer (rotate) to the second position, thereby preventing the information detection mechanism 81 from moving again. The passage of the moving part 178 is detected. Thus, the laser printer 1 capable of ascertaining information about the developer cartridge 28 can be manufactured at a low cost by a simple structure having the moving member 178 irreversible from the first position to the second position.

By providing the moving member 178 on the intermediate gear 70 in the developer cartridge 28, it is not necessary to provide a new transmission member for transmitting the driving force of the motor 59 to the moving member 178. Thus, it is possible to manufacture a more compact device while avoiding increases in manufacturing costs and structural complexity.

By disposing the moving member 178 on the intermediate gear 70 whose position is freer than that of the input gear 67 and the agitator transmission gear 71 , the moving member 178 can be positioned at a position that is easier to detect by the information detection mechanism 81 .

In addition, the contact position between the moving member 178 provided on the intermediate gear 70 and the obstructing portion 94 can be determined by providing the obstructing portion 94 on the gear cover 66 and covering the intermediate gear 70 with the gear cover 66 . This structure ensures that the blocking portion 94 can reliably block the moving member 178 .

Since the moving member 178 is arranged to extend in the radial direction of the intermediate gear support shaft 74 at the first position, it is possible to prevent the developer cartridge 28 from being enlarged in the width direction and make the developer cartridge 28 more compact.

Although the moving member 178 contacts the contact barb 86 of the actuator 82 , the mover 178 can pass through the detection position and then contact the blocking portion 94 without being hindered by the contact barb 86 . Thus, the information detection mechanism 81 can reliably detect the passage of the moving member 178 .

<Structure for Detecting New Developer Cartridge According to Yet Another Form>

Fig. 16 is a side view of a developer cartridge according to still another form, in which the gear cover has been removed. Fig. 17 is a sectional view of the developer cartridge according to the still another form, in which the gear cover has been removed. 18 to 20 are side sectional views of the developer cartridge from which the gear cover has been removed according to still another form, showing a structure for detecting a new developer cartridge. In the developer cartridge according to this still further form, the same components as those in the developer cartridge in the exemplary form described above are given the same numerals to avoid duplication of description.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 , unlike the moving member 78 in the foregoing exemplary form, the moving member 278 is not pivotally supported but formed as a protrusion projecting from the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 77 . The developer cartridge 28 according to this further form is provided with two moving members 278 protruding from the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 77 on the side opposite to the outer teeth 75 in the radial direction of the intermediate gear support shaft 74 . Each moving member 278 has a base end fixed to the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 77 and a top end extending radially outward along the intermediate gear support shaft 74 . The bottoms of the moving parts 278 are arranged at intervals along the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 77 so as to form an angle of 90° with the intermediate gear support shaft 74 as the apex.

The intermediate gear body 95 integrally has external teeth 75 and internal teeth 76 . The cylindrical portion 77 of the intermediate gear 70 is rotatably connected to the intermediate gear main body 95 through a fixing member 96 (FIG. 17), and is coaxial with the intermediate gear support shaft. The end face wall 77A closes the end face of the cylindrical portion 77 on the side of the intermediate gear main body 95 . The depressed portion 95A is substantially circular and corresponds to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 77 , and is formed in the end surface of the intermediate gear main body 95 on the cylindrical portion 77 side. The end face wall 77A of the cylindrical portion 77 is fitted into the concave portion 95A. The through hole 77B passes through the center of the end face wall 77A in its thickness direction.

The fixing member 96 includes: a shaft portion 96A, and a head portion 96B formed at one end of the shaft portion 96A and having a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction larger than that of the shaft portion 96A. The shaft portion 96A of the fixing piece 96 is inserted and passed through the through-hole 77B formed in the end face wall 77A, and is fixedly inserted into the intermediate gear support shaft 74 . With this structure, the fixing piece 96 is provided on the inner side of the cylindrical portion 77 and laterally on the outer side of the intermediate gear support shaft 74 . When the fixing member 96 is fixed, a gap is left between the head portion 96B and the end wall 77A. A compression spring 97 is provided around the shaft portion 96A of the fixing piece 96 in the gap. One end of the compression spring 97 is in contact with the end wall 77A of the cylindrical portion 77, and the other end is in contact with the head 96B of the fixing member 96 so that the compression spring 97 is compressed to a certain extent.

A friction member 98 made of felt is attached to the surface of the end wall 77A opposite to the intermediate gear main body 95 . The thrust of the compression spring 97 pushes the cylindrical portion 77 toward the intermediate gear main body 95 , and the cylindrical portion 77 engages with the intermediate gear main body 95 through the friction force generated between the concave portion 95A and the friction member 98 . More specifically, the cylindrical portion 77 of the intermediate gear 70 is engaged with the intermediate gear main body 95 by the friction force of the friction member 98, which can prevent the cylindrical portion 77 from moving relative to the intermediate gear when the blocking portion 94 does not hinder the moving part 278. The main body 95 moves to allow the cylindrical portion 77 to move relative to the intermediate gear body 95 when the blocking portion 94 blocks the moving member 278, as will be described below. With this structure, the cylindrical portion 77 integrally formed with the moving part 278 serves as an engaging member connecting the moving part 278 and the intermediate gear main body 95 .

The number of moving parts 278 corresponds to the information on the amount of toner contained in the toner containing case 34 when a new developer cartridge 28 is used. In other words, the number of moving members 278 corresponds to the maximum number of sheets 3 capable of forming an image with respect to the amount of toner contained in the toner containing box 34 (hereinafter referred to as the maximum number of printable sheets).

More specifically, when two moving parts 278 are provided as shown in FIG. 16 , the maximum number of printable sheets corresponding to the number of moving parts 278 is 6000. When only one moving part 278 is provided, the maximum number of printable sheets corresponding to the number of moving parts 278 is 3000.

In this still another form, the obstructing portion 94 provided on the intermediate gear cover 92 of the gear cover 66 is provided on the downstream side of the detection position with respect to the moving direction of the moving member 278, and radially extends from the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 92A. Protrude inward (see Figure 18).

<Operation to Detect New Developer Cartridge According to Still Another Form>

A method of determining whether the developer cartridge 28 installed in the main casing according to this still another form is new or old, and a method of determining the maximum number of printable sheets of the developer cartridge 28 will be described below.

In this method, the front cover 2B is opened, and the process cartridge 17 containing a new developer cartridge is inserted into the main casing 2 from the inlet 2A. Alternatively, the front cover 2B is opened, and a new developer cartridge 28 is inserted into the process cartridge 17 already mounted on the main casing 2 from the inlet 2A.

As shown in FIG. 18 , two moving members 278 are provided on the intermediate gear 70 in the developer cartridge 28 . When the developer cartridge 28 is new, the moving member 278 is provided upstream of the detection position, as shown in FIG. 18 . Therefore, when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2, the moving member 278 does not come into contact with the contact tooth 86 of the actuator 82, and the actuator 82 is in a position where the light blocking portion 87 blocks the detection light of the optical sensor 83. regular state.

After the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2, the CPU 100 starts a warm-up operation, performs an idle operation to rotate the agitator 36 . During this operation, the intermediate gear 70 is driven by the motor 59 to rotate therewith, causing the moving member 278 mounted on the cylindrical portion 77 to move in the circumferential direction E (counterclockwise in FIG. 18 ). At this time, as shown in FIG. 19 , the top end of the (front) leading moving member 278 contacts the contact tooth 86 of the actuator 82 at the detection position during the downward movement. The actuator 82 rotates around the cylindrical insertion part 85 in a direction against the urging force of the tension spring 89, so that the contact barb 86 moves downward and the light blocking part 87 moves upward, as shown by arrow F. Thus, the light receiving element receives detection light from the optical sensor 83 which was blocked by the light blocking portion 87 when the actuator 82 was in the normal state until then. The optical sensor 83 sends a reception signal to the CPU 100 according to the received light. The CPU 100 recognizes the received signal as the first received signal, and will reset the number of printed sheets detected by the discharge sensor 64 .

As the intermediate gear 70 is further driven to rotate, the tip of the (front) leading moving member 278 further presses the contact barb 86 while sliding along the contact barb 86 , and then passes through and is separated from the contact barb 86 . Therefore, when the contact between the moving part 278 and the contact barb tooth 86 is removed, the thrust of the tension spring 89 causes the actuator 82 to rotate around the cylindrical insert 85 in the direction opposite to the arrow F in FIG. The contact barb 86 is moved up and the light interrupter 87 is moved down until the actuator 82 returns to its normal state. At this time, the light blocking portion 87 again blocks the detection light of the optical sensor 83 that has been received by the light receiving element.

Similarly, when the intermediate gear 70 is further driven to rotate, the top end of the (rear) tail moving part 278 contacts the contact tooth 86 of the actuator 82 at the detection position during the downward movement. The actuator 82 rotates around the cylindrical insertion portion 85 in a direction against the thrust of the tension spring 89, so that the contact barb 86 moves downward and the light blocking portion 87 moves upward, as shown by arrow F in FIG. 19 . Thus, the light receiving element receives detection light from the optical sensor 83 which was blocked by the light blocking portion 87 when the actuator 82 was in the normal state until then. The optical sensor 83 sends a reception signal to the CPU 100 according to the received light. CPU 100 recognizes the received signal as the second received signal.

As the intermediate gear 70 is further driven to rotate, the tip of the (rear) tail moving member 278 further presses the contact barb 86 while sliding along the contact barb 86 , and then passes through and is separated from the contact barb 86 . Therefore, when the contact between the moving part 278 and the contact barb tooth 86 is removed, the thrust of the tension spring 89 causes the actuator 82 to rotate around the cylindrical insert 85 in the direction opposite to the arrow F in FIG. The contact barb 86 is moved up and the light interrupter 87 is moved down until the actuator 82 returns to its normal state. At this time, the light blocking portion 87 again blocks the detection light of the optical sensor 83 that has been received by the light receiving element.

As shown in FIG. 20, when the intermediate gear 70 is then further rotated, the top end of the (front) guide moving member 278 comes into contact with the obstructing portion 94 protruding from the lowest portion of the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall 92A. When the top end of the guide moving member 278 contacts the blocking portion 94 , the cylindrical portion 77 can slide relative to the intermediate gear main body 95 , and the intermediate gear main body 95 idles relative to the cylindrical portion 77 . Thus, the moving member 278 is prevented from moving together with the intermediate gear main body 95 . Therefore, even when the intermediate gear main body 95 continues to rotate, the moving member 278 remains in contact with the obstructing portion 94, with the result that the tip of the moving member 278 does not pass through the detection position thereafter. Thus, the blocking portion 94 again prevents the moving member 278 from passing the detection position. Therefore, after the CPU 100 recognizes the second received signal, the actuator 82 no longer rotates with the rotation of the intermediate gear 70 , and the light receiving element no longer receives detection light from the optical sensor 83 .

During this idling operation, the CPU 100 determines whether or not the developer cartridge 28 is new based on whether or not a received signal is input from the optical sensor 83, and determines the maximum usable value of the developer cartridge 28 based on the number of received signals input from the optical sensor 83. number of printed sheets.

More specifically, in the example shown in FIGS. 18 to 20, the CPU 100 determines that the developer cartridge 28 is new based on recognizing the first received signal, as described above.

Furthermore, the CPU 100 associates the number of input received signals with information on the maximum number of printable sheets. Specifically, for example, when two received signals are input, the CPU 100 associates the number as a maximum of 6000 sheets to be printed. When a single received signal is input, the CPU 100 associates this number as a maximum of 3000 sheets to be printed.

In the examples of FIGS. 18 to 20 described above, the CPU 100 recognizes the first and second received signals within a predetermined duration before the end of the idling operation. After recognizing the second received signal, the CPU 100 determines the maximum number of printable sheets of the new developer cartridge 28 as 6000.

Thus, when the developer cartridge 28 in the examples of FIGS. After the developer cartridge 28 is installed, the CPU 100 counts the actual number of printed sheets detected by the discharge sensor 64, and when the actual number of printed sheets approaches or reaches 6,000, it issues a toner end warning (not shown) through the control panel, etc. ).

However, when one of the two moving parts 2278 (the tail moving part 278) is omitted from the example of FIGS. 18 to 20 so that the developer cartridge 28 is equipped with only one moving part 2278 (see FIG. Kit 28 only recognizes a received signal. Therefore, the CPU 100 determines that the developer cartridge 28 is new and that the maximum number of printable sheets of the developer cartridge 28 is 3000. After the developer cartridge 28 is installed, the CPU 100 counts the actual number of printed sheets detected by the discharge sensor 64, and when the actual number of printed sheets approaches or reaches 3000, it issues a toner end warning (not shown) through the control panel, etc. ).

However, if a new developer cartridge 28 loaded in the main casing 2 is temporarily taken out and then reloaded, the CPU 100 starts the warm-up process to perform an idle operation to rotate the agitator 36 . At this time, as described above, the moving member 278 does not pass the detection position, and the optical sensor 83 does not input a reception signal to the CPU 100 . Therefore, the CPU 100 determines that the developer cartridge 28 is old because no received signal is recognized during the idling.

Here, the developer cartridge 28 according to the present invention is not limited to a structure having one or two moving parts 278 but three or more moving parts 278 may be configured. In this case, the CPU 100 can determine the information of the developer cartridges 28 corresponding to the number of the moving parts 278 .

<Effect to Detect New Developer Cartridge According to Still Another Form>

In the laser printer 1 as described above, the motor 59 drives the intermediate gear 70 when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2 . When the intermediate gear 70 is driven, the moving member 278 moves and passes the detection position. The information detection mechanism 81 detects the passage of the moving part 278 . The CPU 100 determines information related to the developer cartridge 28 (whether the developer cartridge 28 is new, and if new, The maximum number of printable sheets of the developer cartridge 28). Therefore, with a simple structure equipped with a single information detection mechanism 81, the laser printer 1 capable of ascertaining information on the developer cartridge 28 can be manufactured at a low manufacturing cost.

After the information detection mechanism 81 checks the passage of the moving part 278, the blocking part 94 blocks the moving part 278 to prevent it from passing through the detection position. Therefore, when the developer cartridge 28 is loaded into the main casing 2 and the motor 59 drives the intermediate gear 70, the laser printer 1 according to this still another form can easily and reliably detect the passage of the moving part 278 according to the information detection mechanism 81 It is determined whether the developer cartridge 28 is new or not. Thus, the laser printer 1 can determine the age of the developer cartridge 28 from when it is determined to be new.

Since the information detection mechanism 81 makes way for the moving part 278 when detecting the passage, it is possible to set a plurality of moving parts 278 so that the plurality of moving parts 278 pass through the detection position. As a result, the CPU 100 can specify the information of the plurality of developer cartridges 28 from the number of the moving members 278 detected by the information detection mechanism 81 . Since the information on the developer cartridge 28 includes the maximum number of printable sheets according to the amount of toner contained in the developer cartridge 28, it is possible to accurately determine the useful life of the developer cartridge 28 loaded in the main casing 2 and properly replacement developer cartridge 28, even when using a developer cartridge 28 with a different toner amount.

By providing the moving member 278 on the intermediate gear 70 in the developer cartridge 28, there is no need to provide a new transmission member for transmitting the driving force of the motor 59 to the moving member 278. Thus, it is possible to manufacture a more compact device while avoiding increases in manufacturing costs and structural complexity.

By disposing the moving member 278 on the intermediate gear 70 whose position is freer than that of the input gear 67 and the agitator transmission gear 71 , the moving member 278 can be positioned at a position that is easier for the information detection mechanism 81 to detect.

In addition, the contact position between the moving member 278 provided on the intermediate gear 70 and the obstructing portion 94 can be determined by providing the obstructing portion 94 on the gear cover 66 and covering the intermediate gear 70 with the gear cover 66 . This structure ensures that the blocking portion 94 can reliably block the moving member 278 .

Although the moving member 278 contacts the contact barb 86 of the actuator 82 , the mover 278 can pass through the detection position and then contact the blocking portion 94 without being hindered by the contact barb 86 . Thus, the information detection mechanism 81 can reliably detect the passage of the moving member 278 .

Further, the obstructing portion 94 obstructs the moving member 278 after the information detection mechanism 81 checks the passage of the moving member 278, and prevents the moving member 278 from moving together with the intermediate gear 70 by keeping the moving member 278 in the blocked state. In this way, the obstructing portion 94 prevents the information detection mechanism 81 from detecting the passage of the moving part 278 again later. Thus, by including a simple structure of the moving member 278 and providing the obstructing portion 94 capable of blocking the moving member 278 so that it no longer moves together with the intermediate gear 70, it is possible to manufacture the developer cartridge 28 at a lower manufacturing cost. information laser printer 1 .

In addition, by engaging the cylindrical portion 77 of the intermediate gear 70 with the intermediate gear main body 95 through the friction member 98, the moving member 278 and the intermediate gear 70 can be engaged with a simple structure by means of friction, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while making The laser printer 1 can specify information about the developer cartridge 28 .

In addition, if the circumference of the moving part 278 is modified according to the relevant information of the developer cartridge 28, the CPU 100 can determine a plurality of relevant information corresponding to different lengths of the developer cartridge according to the duration of the detection of the moving part 278 by the information detecting mechanism 81. .

Although the utility model has been described in detail in the above manner, for those skilled in the art, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the purpose of the utility model.

<Developer Cartridge According to Modified Form of Still Another Form>

Fig. 21 is a sectional view of a developer cartridge mounted with a gear cover according to still another modified form, in which the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals to avoid duplication of description.

In the modification shown in FIG. 21 , the cylindrical portion 77 of the intermediate gear 70 is not engaged with the intermediate gear main body 95 by the frictional force of the friction member 98 , but by upwardly facing from the end face wall 77A opposite to the intermediate gear main body 95 . The shear pin 99 protruding from the intermediate gear body 95 engages with the intermediate gear body 95 . An engaging hole 95B is formed on the concave portion 95A of the intermediate gear main body 95 at the position of the shear pin 99 . The cylindrical portion 77 is engaged with the intermediate gear main body 95 by inserting the shear pin 99 into the engaging hole 95B.

When the obstructing portion 94 does not obstruct the moving member 278 , the cylindrical portion 77 of the intermediate gear 70 moves integrally with the intermediate gear main body 95 by the meshing between the shear pin 99 and the engaging hole 95B. When the obstructing portion 94 obstructs the moving member 278 , the shear pin 99 breaks, releasing the intermediate gear 70 from moving together with the intermediate gear main body 95 . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 20 , the moving member 278 does not move together with the intermediate gear main body 95 after the tip end of the (front) leading moving member 278 contacts the blocking portion 94 . Therefore, even when the intermediate gear main body 95 continues to rotate, the moving member 278 remains in contact with the obstructing portion 94, with the result that the top end of the moving member 278 does not pass through the detection position thereafter. Thus, the blocking portion 94 again prevents the moving member 278 from passing the detection position. Therefore, after the CPU 100 recognizes the second received signal, the actuator 82 no longer rotates with the rotation of the intermediate gear 70 , and the light receiving element no longer receives detection light from the optical sensor 83 .

Thus, in the modified type as described above, by a simple structure including the moving part 278 and providing the obstructing part 94 capable of blocking the moving part 278 so that it no longer moves together with the intermediate gear 70, it is possible to manufacture at a low cost. The laser printer 1 capable of specifying information on the developer cartridge 28 is manufactured at a low cost.

In the above form, the moving member 78 , the moving member 178 and the moving member 278 are provided on the intermediate gear 70 . However, these moving parts may also be provided on another gear such as the agitator transmission gear 71 or the developer roller transmission gear 69 .

In the above form, the developer cartridge 28 is independently provided with respect to the process frame 51 , and the photosensitive drum 27 is provided in the process frame 51 . However, the developer cartridge may also be integrally formed with the process frame 51 .

Claims (37)

1. An imaging device, characterized in that, comprising: device body; a driving force generation part provided in the device main body to generate a driving force; a developer cartridge detachably mounted in the apparatus main body, the developer cartridge comprising: a transmission member configured to be driven by the driving force and move in a moving direction when the developer cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body; a moving part, which is provided on the transmission member and moves together with the transmission member in a moving direction; an obstructing portion disposed downstream of the predetermined detection position with respect to the moving direction, thereby obstructing the moving portion and preventing the moving portion from passing through the predetermined detection position for the second time; a detection part that detects the passage of the moving part at the predetermined detection position; and An information specifying section that specifies information on the developer cartridge based on a detection result of the detecting section. 2. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the moving part is configured to irreversibly change from a first position allowing the moving part to pass the predetermined detection position to a second position prohibiting the moving part from passing the predetermined detection position; as well as Wherein the obstructing part hinders the moving part so as to transform the moving part from the first position to the second position. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the moving part is supported on the transmission member so as to be pivotable from the first position to the second position. 4. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the moving part is substantially in the shape of a rod, one end of which is pivotally supported on the transmission member, and the other end is arranged to pass through the predetermined detection position and be obstructed by the obstructing portion. 5. The imaging device according to claim 3, wherein the moving part is substantially fan-shaped, one side of its central angle is pivotally supported on the transmission member, and the outer peripheral side of the arc is set to pass the predetermined detection position and is obstructed by the obstructing portion. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving portion does not move together with the transmission member when the moving portion is obstructed by the obstructing portion; and Wherein the moving portion maintains a state of being obstructed by the obstructing portion after the moving portion is obstructed by the obstructing portion. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising an engaging member interposed between the moving portion and the transmission member so as to move together with the moving portion, the engaging member being arranged to act as the moving portion It moves together with the transmission member when it is not obstructed by the obstructing portion, and does not move together with the transmission member when the moving portion is obstructed by the obstructing portion. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the engaging member is integrally formed with the moving portion, and is engaged with the transmission member by frictional force, when the moving portion is not obstructed by the obstructing portion The frictional force prevents the moving part from moving relative to the transmission member, and the frictional force allows the moving part to move relative to the transmission member when the moving part is obstructed by the obstructing part. 9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the moving portion is substantially in the shape of a protrusion, one end of which is fixed to the engaging member, and the other end is arranged to pass through the predetermined detection position and be moved by the Obstructed by the Ministry of Obstruction. 10. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the moving part comprises a plurality of moving parts. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the number of the plurality of moving parts corresponds to information on the developer cartridge; and Wherein the information determining part determines the information on the developer cartridge according to the number of the plurality of moving parts detected by the detecting part. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a width of the moving portion in a moving direction corresponds to information on the developer cartridge; and Wherein the information determination part determines the information of the developer cartridge according to the detection cycle when the detection part detects the moving part. 13. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information on the developer cartridge includes information indicating whether the developer cartridge is new. 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information on the developer cartridge includes information on an amount of developer accommodated in the developer cartridge. 15. The imaging device of claim 1, wherein the transmission member comprises a gear. 16. The image forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the developer cartridge further comprises: an input gear that engages with the driving force generating portion when the developer cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body; an agitator for agitating the developer contained in the developer cartridge; and an agitation gear engaged with said agitator, Wherein the transmission member includes an intermediate gear that transmits the driving force from the input gear to the stirring gear. 17. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the developer cartridge includes a cover member covering the transmission member; and Wherein the obstructing portion is provided on the cover member. 18. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the developer cartridge includes a shaft to rotatably support the transmission member; wherein the driving force generating portion is configured to drive the transmission member to rotate around a rotation shaft when the developer cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body; and Wherein, at the first position, the moving part is arranged on the transmission member so as to extend along the radial direction of the rotating shaft. 19. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the detection part includes a contact part, and the contact part is in contact with the moving part when the moving part passes the predetermined detection position; and Wherein the moving part is configured to pass through the predetermined detection position without being hindered by the contact part when being contacted by the contact part. 20. A developer cartridge detachably mounted in a main body of an image forming apparatus, characterized in that the developer cartridge comprises: a transmission member configured to be driven by the driving force and move in a moving direction when the developer cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body; a moving part, which is provided on the transmission member and moves together with the transmission member in a moving direction; An obstructing portion disposed downstream of the predetermined detection position with respect to the moving direction, thereby obstructing the moving portion and preventing the moving portion from passing through the predetermined detection position for the second time. 21. The developer cartridge according to claim 20, wherein the moving part is configured to irreversibly change from a first position where the moving part is allowed to pass through a predetermined detection position to a second position where the moving part is prohibited from passing through the predetermined detection position ;as well as Wherein the obstructing part hinders the moving part so as to transform the moving part from the first position to the second position. 22. The developer cartridge of claim 21, wherein the moving portion is supported on the transmission member so as to be pivotable from the first position to the second position. 23. The developer cartridge according to claim 22, wherein the moving portion is substantially in the shape of a rod, one end of which is pivotally supported on the transmission member, and the other end is arranged to pass through the predetermined detection position and blocked by the blocking portion. 24. The developer cartridge according to claim 22, wherein the moving portion is substantially fan-shaped, one side of the central angle of which is pivotally supported on the transmission member, and the outer peripheral side of the arc is arranged to pass through the predetermined The detection position is blocked by the obstructing portion. 25. The developer cartridge according to claim 20, wherein the moving portion does not move together with the transmission member when the moving portion is blocked by the obstructing portion; and Wherein the moving portion maintains a state of being obstructed by the obstructing portion after the moving portion is obstructed by the obstructing portion. 26. The developer cartridge according to claim 25, further comprising an engaging member interposed between the moving portion and the transmission member so as to move together with the moving portion, the engaging member being configured to move When the moving part is not obstructed by the obstructing part, it moves together with the transmission member, and when the moving part is obstructed by the obstructing part, it does not move together with the transmission member. 27. The developer cartridge according to claim 26, wherein the engaging member is integrally formed with the moving portion and is frictionally engaged with the transmission member when the moving portion is not obstructed by the obstructing portion. The frictional force prevents the moving part from moving relative to the transmission member when the moving part is blocked by the blocking part, and the frictional force allows the moving part to move relative to the transmission member when the moving part is blocked by the blocking part. 28. The developer cartridge according to claim 26, wherein the moving portion is substantially in the shape of a protrusion, one end of which is fixed to the engaging member, and the other end is arranged to pass through the predetermined detection position and be received by the predetermined detection position. Obstructed by the Obstruction Department. 29. The developer cartridge according to claim 20, wherein the moving portion includes a plurality of moving portions. 30. The developer cartridge according to claim 29, wherein the number of the plurality of moving parts corresponds to information on the developer cartridge. 31. The developer cartridge according to claim 20, wherein a width of the moving portion in a moving direction corresponds to information on the developer cartridge. 32. The developer cartridge according to claim 30, wherein the information on the developer cartridge includes information indicating whether the developer cartridge is new. 33. The developer cartridge of claim 30, wherein the information on the developer cartridge includes information on an amount of developer contained in the developer cartridge. 34. The developer cartridge of claim 20, wherein the transmission member comprises a gear. 35. The developer cartridge of claim 20, further comprising: an input gear that engages with the driving force generating portion when the developer cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body; an agitator for agitating the developer contained in the developer cartridge; and an agitation gear engaged with said agitator, Wherein the transmission member includes an intermediate gear that transmits the driving force from the input gear to the stirring gear. 36. The developer cartridge according to claim 20, further comprising a cover member covering the transmission member, Wherein the obstructing portion is provided on the cover member. 37. The developer cartridge according to claim 20, wherein the developer cartridge comprises a shaft for rotatably supporting the transmission member; wherein the driving force generating portion is configured to drive the transmission member to rotate around a rotation shaft when the developer cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body; and Wherein, at the first position, the moving part is arranged on the transmission member so as to extend along the radial direction of the rotating shaft.

Images